There Will Never Be Another Dream Team

“You will see a team of professionals in the Olympics again, but I don’t think you’ll see another team quite like this. This was a majestic team.” â€“ USA coach Chuck Daly

There will never be a basketball team like the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team. In the first Olympics to allow NBA players, the Dream Team dismantled the rest of the world, averaging an Olympic record 117.3 points per game and outscoring opponents by an average of 43.8 points on its way to gold. Today, they’ll be formally introduced and honored at the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Chicago.

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its almost like they were playing against 8th graders they would just snatch the ball & run

By: weezy f

08.12.2009 @ 4:14 PM

man i would love to watch them play today..they were before my time

By: Halo

08.12.2009 @ 4:20 PM

Aron,

The way you lockdown Lebron from what I heard…And threw that jumper in his face (even though he was 20 ft out of the play)….You should be the next DreamTeam PG and blog about it.

Halo

By: Detroit Dave

08.12.2009 @ 4:20 PM

That team was great but lets be honest the rest of the world sucked.

By: Dime Magazine

08.12.2009 @ 4:24 PM

@Halo

You’re 100% correct!

-AP.

By: Ashlov

08.12.2009 @ 4:24 PM

I bought the entire collection (both exhibition and Olympic) from some guy on eBay about 5 years ago. The quality isn’t that great, but I watch them once in a while.

I gotta say though, there were plenty of other plays not in that collection that should have been in there.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 4:25 PM

No doubt the rawest squad ever put together. I just wish it was some way that Hakeem could have played with that squad. I don’t know what dude was doing at the time or if he was playing for his country or what, but I would have loved to see him on there.

Someone most def. should have been in Laettner’s place.

It would take one dynamic squad to match up with them man for man and it’s hard even thinkin of one but I’ll attempt with today’s roster.

I am just having fun so don’t get sand all in ya vagina. I already know Duncan wouldn’t likely play but I am just imagining what would give the Dream Team the toughest match-up

I actually would love Tracy McGrady where Brandon Roy is but I unfortunately ..well yall know how it is.

For real I ain’t saying this new school of players would dominate at all but I think in a 7 game series they would get 3 and the last one to win it all would be close.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 4:28 PM

Oh yea and with Barkley and Duncan that should be (Hustle vs. Skill) I am thinking most knew that anyway.

And I will see Chuck D. with Phil J.

Holla back.

By: alex

08.12.2009 @ 4:55 PM

@POPI GEE

That’s a good match up you’ve got over there. Laettner of course is a wasted spot on the original dream team. That’s hard to compare because Larry and Magic weren’t in their prime anymore at that time. Shaq + Dwight + Duncan will probably kill them inside, but then again DT had superior shooters in Bird, Mullin, and better wing defenders in Scottie and MJ.

Its also worth considering what set of ‘rules’ would they play in. Is hand checking allowed? zone? etc etc

By: SagJism

08.12.2009 @ 4:57 PM

This is all BS, Isiah should have been on that team only cause jordan got pisse at him and threatened not to play was he not put on there.

By: Celts Fan

08.12.2009 @ 4:58 PM

Best team ever in any sport. You’ll never see this much star power together in one uni ever again. With Magic and Bird winding down their careers, MJ in his prime, ascending to GOAT status, and the rest mostly in their primes, this was actually a solid team who had and accepted pretty well-defined roles. Best collection of talent ever assembled and it’s not even close. This is like Wilt’s 100. We’ll marvel forever and know it cannot ever be touched…

By: SagJism

08.12.2009 @ 5:00 PM

Great write up Poppi Gee

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 5:01 PM

alex that is real. I thought about how the rules would most def. change the game and especially considering the amount that players complain more now.

I agree also that inside would most def. go to the youngsters but yea the defense would most def. win out with DT. Shooters?? I think I will give the slight edge to DT.

I so wish we could have that game played. Sad that it can only happen on video games.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 5:03 PM

Thanks Sagjism.

I used to love hearing and seeing excerpts of the Dream Team practice and scrimmages. Classic stuff.

DIME anyway to pull any of that up for tomorrow perhaps?

By: BiG ShoT BoB

08.12.2009 @ 5:13 PM

Yeah great Millennium Dream Team Gee…The only guy that would be hard to replace is Scottie there’s just no one like him in the NBA today I would say Artest but he doesn’t have the offense Pipp brought…Roy’s too small.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 5:18 PM

BiG ShoT BOB for real when I was doing that, he was the hardest person to match-up. I would love to put Kobe there, but everyone knows you gotta put him with Jordan.

Artest did cross my mind, but like you said not enough O. I think out the selection though Roy is going to be close as 1 can probably get. Besides Artest said himself he is was like the 2nd best player he ever played against lol. Don’t take me serious quoting Artest.

Seriously though in looking at that squad it’s amazing no one got Laettner bounced out of there??? Many other dudes that should have or could have been on the squad besides him?

If anything that was probably DT’s greatest flaw. Dude don’t even fit in on the picture lol.

By: BRUCE

08.12.2009 @ 5:20 PM

Malone vs Shawn Kemp

By: Jordi

08.12.2009 @ 5:39 PM

Why are they all pumped up and cheering like crazy in those first like 5 or 6 plays? It’s not like they were close games or anything right?

By: marcus the great

08.12.2009 @ 7:13 PM

good list GEE

i would almost say tayshaun prince vs pippen but after i think about prince long enough i’m like nah.

how bout pippen vs lebron and have magic vs a big pg like kidd. maybe payton in his prime??

By: AB_40

08.12.2009 @ 7:49 PM

what you might not now is that they had to choose between leatner and shaq. and they chose leatner because they already had davind robinson and patrick ewing.

Dream team two who won the WC in 94 was nasty they were everything that was good and bad about the nba in the 90’s

By: JOB33

08.12.2009 @ 8:43 PM

Like the list PGee..especially Laettner being described as (Hope). Hope for what? Gets on the court? Doesn’t get shaving creamed in the locker room and smacked with wet towels? Hope that the towel boy will defer to Laettner and let him hand towels out?

By: Vik

08.12.2009 @ 9:38 PM

Even though I loved watching the Dream Team in 1992, I enjoyed the past Olympics almost as much. It is great seeing the world elevate their own basketball skills to such a high level. Basketball is becoming a globally watched, and that is a wonderful thing to see.

By: DJ Leon Smith

08.12.2009 @ 9:50 PM

To be fair if you’re going to make a team of players from today’s era to battle the Dream Team, the guy you pick to take on Laettner should be from college – that’s the only reason Laettner even made the DT.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 9:52 PM

AB_40 I did know that but still other players could have replaced Laettner. That is about the only thing Laettner has over Shaq in the NBA.

JOB33 lol all he had was hope. I bet he got WORKED during scrimmages lol (if he actually played like you said).

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 10:18 PM

DJ Leon Smith that was sort of the point of pitting a pro against Laettner cause he had no buisness on the team 1. and 2. they shouldn’t even have put a college player with that mix of pros unless he was an anomaly (such as Shaq).

Don’t get me wrong I get your point, but I would rather replace Laetnner with a pro, or not have him on the squad at all before finding another college player for him to go against. Not that they aren’t out there.

If I had to replace Laetnerr for the Dream Team with a pro I think I would have went with Nique, Larry Johnson or even go small with Joe Dumars.

By: POPPI GEE

08.12.2009 @ 10:19 PM

Rumors flew that Michael Jordan secretly said he wouldn’t play if Thomas was on the team, and for as great and legendary as Isiah Thomas is, well, that’s Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen didn’t help to quell any of the rumors by labeling Zeke a cheap-shot artist and saying that he wouldn’t play on the Olympic team if Thomas was one of the two players added to fill out the squad.

Isiah felt snubbed also: shortly after being left off the team, Isiah and his Detroit Pistons visited the Utah Jazz. Zeke let the Olympic Committee (and John Stockton) know what he felt about not being on the Dream Team – Isiah dropped 44pts.

Then, in December 1991, some say in retaliation for Isiah embarrassing Stockton, Karl Malone laid Isiah out as he drove into the lane. Thomas laid in the lane, covering his head, and bleeding. Thomas ended up needing 40 stitches over his left eye, had vision problems and headaches for two weeks thereafter.

Found this on a web-site and just found it interesting.

By: yoda

08.12.2009 @ 10:41 PM

too bad former yugoslavia didn’t played in barcelona, back in ’92. i mean, just croatia got to second place. young petrovic, divac, kukoc… that would be fun game to watch and no way yu would lose 40+. euro teams in ’92. got outmuscled, just check what happened 4-6 years after, when euro players put some muscles on. im not taking anything from dt1, because that was best collection of basketball players ever, but when you consider that in finals of euro championship in 89 former yugoslavia won against greece with more then 30 points and yu sqad was average of 20 years old. damn, dt1 and yu team would play one of best games ever

By: Willy Bastos

08.12.2009 @ 11:49 PM

i still think Shaq should’ve been on that team instead of Laettner, just b/c he was the “POY” in college he was straight basura

By: sh!tfaced

08.13.2009 @ 3:36 AM

Now that’s its all said and done, you gotta say, what the fuck is Christian Laettner doing there?! Hakeem Olajuwon should have his place and your talking about (arguably) Team G.O.A.T. right there.

*Hakeem would have been a shoe in, but he became a naturalized American citizen only after the ’93 season.

By: Furious O

08.13.2009 @ 4:38 AM

The original dream team was good…also, the sun is hot. What’s next Captain Obvious?

By: JOB33

08.13.2009 @ 6:06 AM

I think this Dream Team could and would run damn near anyone out of the building today.

By: Chicagorilla

08.13.2009 @ 8:55 AM

Laetner should have been Shaq. This team seems so incomplete because of that homo. Thanks Coach K, for bringing your bitch with you, especially since you should not have been there yourself. Fuck, Dean Smith was there still coaching but somehow you ended up on the team as an assistant.

Zeke should have been on the team too, but he burned his bridges I guess.

And I wish everyone would stop taking away from the Dream Teams accomplishments by saying that the rest of the world sucked. No they really didn’t. If they did then we would have still kept using the top college players to whoop up on them. But somehow a team full of college stars led by Danny Manning (#1 pick I think) couldn’t win gold in 88′. So the Dream Team was formed to make sure that didn’t happen again. They were just so good that the rest of the world was made to look really bad.

You can’t possibly form a team today to beat them. Brandon Roy vs Scottie….hahaha you’re sick. Roy wouldn’t score. The only weakness was Laetner and he didn’t play much. Jordan would make Kobe feel like a little hotel clerk in Denver. Bird and Magic’s intelligence alone would kill Bron and Melo. Ewing and Robinson are skilled Centers and would destroy an OLD Shaq and young Dwight. They both have an Outside/Inside game and could actually play at the same time. Barkley vs Duncan and KG vs Malone would be the best match-ups, but Also the most irrelevant.

By: Chicagorilla

08.13.2009 @ 9:01 AM

yoda, what the fuck are you smoking? Seriously I don’t know what country you are from. But you just said a team with Floppy Divac, Toni KuCock, and Drazen would give the 92′ team a run for their money? Forget smoking, you are injecting that Blue Magic directly into your blood stream. Dream Team could start Laetner at Pg and still smash that team by 40pts. Laetner would actually have been the best player on that Yugoslovian team!

By: Amos Leak

08.13.2009 @ 11:16 AM

HONESTLY…INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL IS NOT THE SAME..NOW BASKETBALL, SINCE 2000 IS MARKETED DIFFERENT WHICH MEANS THERE ARE DIFFERENT AFFECTS WITH THE GAME THEN IT USE TO BE..NOW WE GOT DIRKs, GINOBLIs, and so many other international players that come to america or when we come see them, they are ready to play. I know that the dream team was great..but I think we blow this out of context because of what we are use to seeing, but internation basketball compared to now is nothing even close. So I wouldn’t even compare the team now to then cuz that’s apples and ornages.

By: Chicagorilla

08.13.2009 @ 11:47 AM

Amos Leak….

Really, you think one Dirk is going to make the German team beat the dream team or even stay within 40pts? You don’t think Scottie locks his ass up or Barkley makes him foul out?

Ginoboli would kill MJ huh? Scola would own Ewing and Robinson? Nocioni would destroy Bird/Pip/Drexler?

In the immortal words of Brenan Huff a.k.a. Nighthawk
“Are you f^*king high?”

The international comp will still lose by 40pts. You are clearly underrating how good Magic, Mike, Pip, Barkley, Ewing and those are. Their passing ability alone and will to win far surpasses anything the international comp has ever seen. They would crumble under the pressure of that team’s defense. FIBA rules or not, that teams wins by 40pt avg AGAIN.

Anyone who believes that international hype needs to go back and watch the 80’s games that NBAtv is currently showing.

By: alex

08.13.2009 @ 1:03 PM

@POPPI GEE

more on the Thomas – Jordan feud. It all started on the 1985 all star game when Thomas convinced some of his East all star teammates to “freeze out” MJ and not involve him in the offense. Thomas was a local chicago hero until MJ came along. Then in 1991, when the Bulls finally beat the Pistons, Thomas led Detroit to walk out before the game ended. Poor sportsmanship. Of course he would deny everything, but in the light of recent events from the CBA, to the Raptors, Pacers, and Knicks, Thomas is indeed as much as a loser, as MJ was a winner

By: Ian

08.13.2009 @ 1:43 PM

chicagorilla
even the players of the dreamteam say the competition isnt the same today dont be a blind fan. would the dream team lose??? hell no but it wouldnt be 40 pts blowouts vs everyone they will get a good game from argentina and spain.

someone said that howard , shaq and duncan would destroy the dream team inside?? wtf OLD SHAQ cant handle anyone, howard would get abused by the admiral and ewing your best chance is duncan but vs an in his prime admiral and ewing you better bring 03 timmeh.

now the three headed monster of the 96 team hakeem , dave and oneal ALL IN THEIR PRIMES shit.

alex
isiah a loser??? goh man

By: Chicagorilla

08.13.2009 @ 3:45 PM

Please list the players from Argentina and Spain. Then list the Dream Team with the coaches.

By: Chicagorilla

08.13.2009 @ 3:48 PM

I’m sure Laetner (who by the way was an all-star in ATL)from 92′ would give Spains best player (Gasol) fits. are you really thinking this out?

By: NC

08.13.2009 @ 3:59 PM

Believe it or not I kind of think Laettner can’t be removed. At the time he was considered one of the greatest college ballers of all time, already had experience internationally with the bronze in 90 FIBA WC, and was projected to be one of the new great ones.

In retrospect, if we’re looking back at career accomplishment then yeah … see ya. But at the time he was HUGE!

By: NC

08.13.2009 @ 4:08 PM

Best international team vs. the dream team would be cool … if they get the Dream … all in their prime.

chicagorilla
all those players from argentina played better than what they are individually when they played together same with spain.

By: POPPI GEE

08.13.2009 @ 4:24 PM

@ Alex that is good stuff and remember a lot of that happening during the Jordan and Zeke days. I wonder what either one of them would say about it now or do they even care?

@chicagorilla I hear you playboi but at the same time that is your opinion that those things would happen. Personally I think that team could win against the Dream Team in a series and I feel Roy would do enough to be considered ok against Pippen. Considering your moniker you might be a lil biased though.

As great as they were many still had individual flaws in their game, especially the bigs. So no I don’t think it’s far fetched that a group gathered together from today’s roster could give them a go.

Course that is my opinion lol.

By: Ian

08.13.2009 @ 4:35 PM

poppi gee
unless its in his prime duncan and shaq todays bigs would get owned by ewing and specially the admiral. but i do agree with you that todays team could give them a go.

By: POPPI GEE

08.13.2009 @ 10:53 PM

Ian I most def. have respect for your opinion, but when you say “get owned” I have to disagree.

Duncan is to skilled for the Admiral overall.
And Ewing can’t do anything with Shaq’s force.

So I am saying even today I might call it even but I wouldn’t say Ewing and the Admiral would own them.

By: Chicagorilla

08.14.2009 @ 9:11 AM

@45

In a series it’s possible they get a win, 1 single win. This dream team did lose to the College Select team in a scrimmage (I noticed no one pointed that out) so it’s possible for them to have mental lapses during the game and give up a win. Your argument about Ewing and Shaq is way off. That version of Ewing was in his prime, hitting jumpers and still a force down low at about 280lbs or so while still being athletic. Shaq is just big now. Admiral IS Dwight, but with a much more skill. So Dwight would have a terrible time trying to stop him. Not to mention, with Kobe being guarded by Jordan, and Melo D’d up by Pippen, I don’t see Dwight getting the ball much unless it’s a offensive rebound (which ain’t happening against DT1).

By: Amos Leak

08.15.2009 @ 12:19 AM

I’m convinced….WHOEVER THIS CHICAGORILLA GUY IS..I’M CONVINCED..HE DON’T KNOW SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA ABOUT BASKETBALAL..CUZ I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT DREAN TEAM WAS WACK OR THEY WOULDN’T BEAT ON TEAMS…I’M JUST SAYING..YOU CAN’T COMPARE THE ERA..CUZ THAT LIST ABOVE ALL THIS OF THOSE OVERSEAS PLAYERS….THEY ARE GETTING MUCH BETTER AND THEY NOT LETTING ANYBODY KICK THEIR ASS FOR THE MOST PART..AND TRUST ME THIS REDEEM TEAM..IS LEGIT…IF NOT BETTER..AS GOOD.

By: POPPI GEE

08.15.2009 @ 1:34 AM

@CG you basically supporting my point to a degree if you bring out they got beat by a college select team. Cause if they lose just 1 to THEM, then no doubt they losing 2-3 against a group of elite pros.

I don’t ever remember Ewing being a 1 on 1 defensive beast lol, so again Shaq’s force alone would be to much for Ewing. I will agree that Ewing’s best chance is that mid-range jumper.
As far as Admiral and Dwight yea I can see Admiral totally getting that match-up but still I just easily can nullify the Admiral with Duncan easy.

I still don’t see what you are seeing and obviously you don’t see what I am seeing. It’s just unfortunate it is something that could never be settled.